As Time Goes By
by Mad-like
Summary: Set approximately 15 years in the future.  If you love Klaine you won't like this.  Primary pairing Mercedes/Blaine,Sam/Quinn.
1. Chapter 1

He carefully considered the pastries in the display case. Normally he's not one for pastries but it had been a long day, and what the hell, he could run it off later.

"Can I help you?" the girl behind the counter asked. She was young, probably in high school, and pretty in a farm-girl type way. She smiled flirtatiously. He was probably 15 years older than her but he smiled back anyway, might as well be polite. It's his eyes, his wife would say. His green eyes dazzle them so much they can't see the reptile inside. Fair enough. Her blue eyes dazzled him and he missed the iceberg inside.

"What would you pick?" he asked.

"The chocolate crepe. All kinds of awesome. However, boss lady told me to push the scones. If it were up to me..." a bell rang, signaling a new customer coming into the coffeehouse. "I'd definitely get the scones." she finished with extra enthusiasm.

"Excellent job, Ilsa. She hates the scones." She said confidentially. Even after 15 years, he recognized her voice. "Can I have one scone, cut in half please? I need half for Ella, even if it is before dinner."

"Thanks mom, I love you!"

"Oh, now you love me?" he could hear the laughter in her voice. This was nonsense, he was afraid to turn around and look at the woman standing behind him. "As opposed to how you felt 15 minutes ago in the mall." She handed a half a scone to the girl that walked in with her. The other half she handed to him, "I just need an honest opinion on these. Just wasting my time making them if..." looking at his face for the first time.

"Sam!" her hand shook a little. "Sam Evans."

"Hello, Mercedes."

* * *

><p>"So what brings you to Lima?" she asked, handing him a cup of coffee while sitting down across from him. She'd been a girl when he knew her, not much older than the girl behind the counter, and all the childishness was gone now. She was thinner than he remembered, and wore her hair natural. He remembered her not liking her natural hair when he knew her. There wasn't much about herself she liked when he knew her, just singing. Now there was a joyfulness to her he didn't remember. Their really happy times had only lasted for three months and the last time he saw her they were both crying.<p>

"Family business." he said.

"Really? I thought your family was from Tennessee."

"I'm married now. You remember Quinn from high school? We got married about ten years ago."

"Oh. Quinn. Congratulations." Mercedes tried to think of where she was 10 years ago. Ella would have been 2. The Philippines. "I remember now, my mother mentioned it was in the paper. How is Quinn?"

"Okay. Her mother died and I'm here trying to settle the estate."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."

"Thank you. How are you?"

"Me?" she suddenly remembered something. "Ella? Can you please go get daddy? Please tell him Sam from high school is here. From high school, that's important."

The girl glanced at Sam before heading towards the back of the cafe, only to stop when the front door swung open with a bang.

"Tonight!" A girl stood in the doorway and bellowed "Tonight! Won't be just any night!"

Ella ran over and hugged the new girl. "You got it?"

"You know it!" She squeezed the younger girl in a bear hug.

"Way to go, Jack!" Ilsa said from behind the counter.

"I did just what you said Momma!" the girl threw her arms around Mercedes' neck. "They would have been deaf and blind to say no! Then this girl Rachel's all 'Puerto Rican's aren't black!" and I'm all 'People think I'm Puerto Rican all the time.' Then I cussed her out in Spanish."

"Jackie!"

"If you had been there, if you had seen it, I betcha you would have done the same. Ole! Chicago!"

"Really? I'd never have known." She gave the girl a kiss on the cheek.

The girl looked up, her green eyes locked on Sam's. She tilted her head, as if she was trying to remember how she knew him.

"Daddy!" she ran over to the man standing in the kitchen door. "I'm Maria!"

"I heard. So did half the block. Congratulations baby!" He twirled the girl around.

"Well, my whole family's here so you might as well." she signalled the others. "Blaine, you remember Sam. Sam from high school." She added with significance.

Blaine looked startled for a second, then he half-smiled at Mercedes and reached for her hand. Sam didn't remember a Blaine from high school so he wondered if they had met in college. This guy was short, not super short but shorter than Sam, taller than Mercedes. He had curly black hair, worn longish, just brushing his shoulders. The older girl was introduced as Jackie, the younger girl was Ella. It was obvious that he wasn't the father of the older girl. Ella had a light brown complexion, thick black hair that fell in soft waves and brown eyes like Blaine and Mercedes. Jackie had a slightly darker complexion, still much lighter than her mom, brown hair that she wore in braids and green eyes.

"Do you have time to come upstairs for a few minutes?" Mercedes said. "I guess you have a few questions. Girls, give us 20 minutes."

He looked at his watch, wondering how he was doing against his self-imposed schedule.

"You still have that?" Mercedes asked.

**15 years earlier**

_Sam lay as still as he could, waiting for the sound of her car. She promised to sneak out tonight, no matter what was facing her when she got back. Come hell or high water they were watching the sunrise at the lake. If not today then it was never going to happen, they both knew that. He heard the car pull into the motel parking lot and then his phone vibrated._

_Sam slipped out of bed and across the room, past his sleeping parents._

_"Sam." his mother whispered. He froze in his tracks._

_"Sam." she repeated, getting out of bed. She walked over to him and put her arm around him. "We have to check out at 11am. Be back by 10:30. Thank Mercedes for everything she's done for us. Tell her we all love her."_

_They sat on the pier, waiting for the sun to rise. They didn't talk, they didn't make love. They just waited and cried. After the sun rose they waited some more, until it was time to leave. They didn't say anything on the way to the motel. There was nothing to say. He was leaving, she was staying. They'd both live happy lives. Maybe they'd be together again? Probably not._

_They sat in the car in the motel parking lot, not talking. Finally, he had to go, he might as well go, there was no way not to go. He got out of the car._

_"Wait a minute." She called out to him. He could tell she was trying to stay in control. "I got you something."_

_"But we agreed..."_

_"Well, I lied. I got you something." she pushed a rectangular box in his direction. "Not now." she said when he started to open it. "Open it when you get there. I know we agreed to a clean break but I just wanted you to have it."_

_He got back into the car and kissed her, tasted her, for the last time. "I love you, Mercedes."_

_"I love you, Sam."_

**Back to the Present**

Mercedes was sitting cross-legged on the sofa in their apartment over the coffeehouse. Blaine was sitting on the floor, his head resting on her knee.

"Obviously you're not Jackie's father." Sam started.

"Obviously."

"So who is?"

"You can't figure that out?"

"Blaine!"

"Merce! You knew he'd show up one day. You should have taken care of this 15 years ago."

"Well, why don't you get started on that time machine and I'll do that?"

"You know I love it when you're sassy but now's not the time. Later." He leaned backwards and she leaned forward and kissed him, nearly losing her balance.

"Hey? You wanna take care of that later? I'm still waiting to hear about my daughter."

"Clean break. That's what you said when you left Lima. Clean break."

"You could have made an exception in this case."

"What I said." Blaine said.

"Okay, I didn't know for a couple of months. During that time, I kept hoping you'd call, clean break or not. That was the point of the watch." Sam looked at his wrist. At the outrageously expensive military-style watch she gave him on his last day in Lima. "You know, it's time to call Mercedes? I guess I was too subtle. Then, the day after my birthday, I broke down and looked at your Facebook. Captain of the dance squad. She was so pretty, blonde and thin and you two looked so cute together. Why would you call me, that's the kind of girl you should be with. Like Quinn, she's perfect for you. What could you do so far away and everything anyway? That was early December. After Christmas, and not even a Christmas card, I knew I needed to take care of things on my own."

"I would have done something if I knew."

"What I said."

"Yes, that's what Blaine said." she poked him with her knee. "Call him, I'd want to know, he said. But I didn't. Okay, I just didn't. I got thrown out of New Directions, long story there, pretty much spent Junior year singing jazz, hanging out with Tina and a couple of band kids, had a baby. Tina said you were at Nationals."

"Yes. My school in Kentucky came in 8th. If I remember correctly New Directions came in 4th."

"Yes, we did." Blaine said. "I was there."

"Most of New Directions graduated that year so senior year I came back and Schuester was desperate enough to take me. Blaine was a senior too and we pretty much took over. We ruled that club!" They high-fived each other. "And dragged their sorry asses all the way to a National's championship."

"Well Artie and Tina participated in the ass dragging too." He rubbed Mercedes' knee. "And you wonder why the girls talk the way they do." Blaine smiled and shook his head.

"What did you say about me, to Jackie I mean." Trying to pull them back on track, a place neither one of them seemed to want to go. "Does she think I'm some jerk that left you high and dry?"

"No. She knows you didn't know about her and that it was my decision not to tell you. I'm sure they worked the whole thing out by now, they're both wicked smart. She probably knew the minute she saw your eyes, they're just the same. They both know I was in high school when Jackie was born." She absentmindedly ran her fingers through Blaine's hair. "Blaine's a good father. I mean, I'm sure you would have been great too but like I said..." They were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Can we come in?" the girls called from the hallway.

"Jackie, Ella. I want you to meet Sam Evans. Sam is Jackie's biological father, the Sam you're named after. Jackie's full name is Jacquelyn Samantha Anderson. And Ella Marie Anderson here."

"Very pleased to meet you." Ella said holding out her hand and curtsying. "What I said." she whispered to Jackie before leaving the room. Blaine and Mercedes moved a discreet distance away and started playing chess.

Jackie sat down across from Sam. "So..."

"So." he repeated.

"So, well..."

"Deep subject." he said with a nervous laugh. "Well, get it?"

"You don't have to be so nervous. I don't bite. So tell me something about yourself. Or should I say myself. Do I have any brothers and sisters, besides Ella?"

"Yes, you have a brother named Richard. He's eight. How old are you?"

"Fourteen. Ella's twelve. Where do you live?"

"Connecticut. When's your birthday?"

"February 14th." She looked at Sam carefully, her head tilted to one side. "Why are you here?"

"You want the truth?"

"Of course. I could make up a lie on my own."

"Bagels."

"Bagels?" she laughed.

"Yes, I smelled bagels so I came in."

"The bagels aren't the best here. Best in Lima but not the best in the world."

"Where are the better?"

"Long Island. They're good there. And you wouldn't believe it but Baltimore. Excellent bagels in Baltimore."

"So you're a bagel expert?"

"We're kind of food snobs around here. Actually" she leaned forward. "They've ruined me for school food. Can't keep it down. So you didn't come here looking for me?"

"I didn't know to look for you. How do you feel about that?"

"That's what mom said, you didn't know. She said you were really sweet and you'd love me if you ever met me. She also said you were really poor and couldn't afford to help. And I always had everything I needed. By the time I asked about it, when I noticed Ella and I don't look anything alike, I was seven or so and my dad had always been my dad. We moved around a lot and everybody in this family looks different anyway. It took me a while to notice most families don't look like us. What does my brother look like?"

Sam showed her a picture on his cell phone. She looked from the phone to the man in front of her. "Same eyes." she said finally.

"You have them too. This is my sister, your aunt, Stacey. And your uncle Steve. See, same eyes. Why did you move so much?"

"I don't know. We lived in the Philippines for a few years, then we moved to Europe, then we drove around America. At first, I thought that was normal. Then I had this theory they were wanted for something, or in the witness protection program. That would have been interesting and dramatic. Turns out they're just eccentric, which is kind of interesting. Just not witness protection plan interesting."

"How did you go the school with all that moving?"

"Homeschooled. That's why we're here. I wanted to see what school is like. Conveniently enough some friends needed a coffeehouse sitter for a year. They're musicians on a tour."

"So how do you like school?"

"I'm undecided. Ella doesn't think much of it."

"You sound like military brats, all that moving around. That's why Rick and Quinn stayed in New Haven."

"Quinn?"

"My wife. Her name is Quinn." he showed her a picture. "She went to school with your mother. But I was in the Navy, I just left recently. We figured it would be hard on him, moving all the time."

"I suppose it could be for some people. Maybe it would have been bad if I didn't have Ella. But we had fun so as long as we're together it's okay. Kids here roll their eyes when I say things like that, like I'm not supposed to like my family. Well what else do I have but them?" She thought for a moment. "What do yo want me to call you? I already have a dad."

"Sam. You're old enough to just call me Sam."

"Nice to meet you, Sam." She shook his hand, then hugged him. "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. That's from Casablanca, you ever see it?"


	2. Chapter 2

"So what's he like?" Ilsa asked, getting comfortable on Jackie's bed. Jackie was a good friend, if slightly odd. Like the way she's sharing a room with Ella when there's an extra bedroom down the hall. If she moved into that room, she wouldn't have to chase Ella out when she wanted privacy. But Jackie liked sharing a room with Ella, and Ella would leave without an argument if asked politely. And even with her oddities, or maybe because of them, Jackie was the most interesting person at McKinley High and Ilsa's only real friend.

"Who?" Jackie answered innocently.

"Your dad, what's he like?"

"You've been working with him for months. You know what he's like."

"Ass! You're an ass. You know who I mean."

"Oh, Sam. He asked me to call him Sam. You'd better call him Mr. Evans." she said with a smirk.

"Your mom's got good taste in men, I'll give her that. Imagine, the guy just showing up out of the blue like that. When it comes to long-lost fathers you hit the jackpot."

Ilsa and Jackie flipped through the yearbooks Sam borrowed from Quinn's house. "She was pregnant here?"

Jackie calculated in her head "No, just chubby." she stared at the picture. "No wonder she could hide me." she flipped to a picture of the football team. "Here he is on the football team. And this girl" she pointed to a picture of Quinn, "he married her after college. I have a brother, Rick, looks like you'd guess their kid would look, blonde hair and green eyes. Very all-American, not like around here."

"Tell me about it." Ilsa and her brother are both adopted and nobody in her family matches either. She's strawberry blonde, her brother was adopted from Korea and his hair is jet black, her mother's brunette and Brad is grey. At least the eyes matched, they all had brown eyes. "And where's your dad, your other dad?"

"He didn't go there that year. He was all about prep-school then." She pulled out the next year. "Here he is."

"Awwww, he's so adorkable. Was that a thing back then? Dressing like an idiot?"

"That was his thing at the time. He was in that glee club they talk about sometimes. Sam was gone by then and my mom wasn't in it that year. Here's my dad, here's my step-mother maybe you'd call her. This here is Rachel Berry, probably the most famous person ever to come out of Lima, Ohio."

"Who's the guy staring at your dad like he's dessert?"

"His boyfriend at the time. Guy named Kurt."

"Your dad is gay?"

"You were in health class, you heard the talk on human sexuality. He was in love with Kurt at the time." She flipped the page. "My mom sang jazz that year. See, here she is at a competition. That's why she used to hang out with Tim and Alice, the owners of this coffeehouse."

"Damn, Alice looks exactly the same as she does now. I swear she still wears that t-shirt. Hey, that's my dad!" she pointed at Brad. Brad's the only reason Ilsa's life at high school isn't a living hell. Kids like him so they tolerate her. They don't like her but they don't torment her either. That's why Ilsa was so happy when Jackie showed up. Kids don't particularly like Jackie but she doesn't give a damn if they do or not.

"That's how my mom knows him, those couple of years in jazz band. She liked him because he didn't give a shit what she looked like." She closed the book. "These years were missing from the library. I wonder who stole them and why?"

**15 years earlier**

"_Well." Kurt said, "I guess..."_

"_Yes, I guess this is it."_

"_I love you, Blaine, you know that, don't you?"_

"_Of course I know that!" Blaine blinked back the tears. "And I love you. But you're going off to college. You deserve to have fun. Not too much fun" he said with a forced laugh. "but a reasonable amount of fun. If we're meant to be..."_

"_And we are." he said pulling Blaine close._

"_Then we'll be together again." They tumbled onto the bed and made love before driving to the airport._

**Two weeks after that**_**  
><strong>_

"_Hey Mercedes, welcome to senior year!"_

"_Blaine! Looks like were locker neighbors this year. I like your hair that way."_

"_Thanks." He ran his fingers through his longer hair._

"_You hair is nice too." Blaine wasn't sure if he should mention her dramatic weight loss, he decided not to._

"_Natural. I don't have time for high maintenance hair. The baby takes all my time."_

"_Right, you had a baby last year. Sorry, I don't remember. Boy or girl?"_

"_Girl. Jackie." She showed him a picture _hanging in her locke_r of a honey colored baby with green eyes. The picture of Jackie, a family portrait and a picture of the Jazz Band at a competition were the only pictures in her locker._

"_How old?"_

"_Seven months and fiesty. Don't know where she gets it." she grinned at the picture. "So how are you? Kurt's in New York with Rachel now, isn't he?"_

"_Yes, he stayed here as long as he could but he's loving New York."_

"_And you guys still together?"_

"_No, we decided to try it this way. He's in college after all. College shouldn't be about being tied down to somebody hundreds of miles away."_

_She noticed the picture of Kurt he had in his locker and the sadness in his tone of voice. "I guess." She looked at him like she wanted to say something, but smiled and patted his arm instead. "You doing glee club this year?"_

"_Of course. You?"_

"_I don't know if I can stand Schuester's foolishness. Jazz Band was great last year and I don't have time for both. My mom's good about watching her but Jackie's my baby, not hers."_

"_So how was jazz band?" Blaine asked a couple of days later at their lockers._

"_Not much for me to do so far. Brad needs to rebuild the string section, I'm looking for a male vocalist. You interested?"_

"_If you do glee club I'll do jazz band. We can do songs that overlaps so it won't take so much time."_

_She smiled at Blaine. "Tim, the guy I sang with last year? He graduated, but he used to practice at my house. If we practice there my mom will watch Jackie during glee club."_

* * *

><p>"<em>Are you okay? I missed you at practice today." he placed his books on the desk in her room.<em>

"_I'm fine. Just exhausted and forgot you were coming over." she looked at the baby sleeping on the other side of her bedroom. "Teething. It's perfectly normal but she's miserable and keeping me up all night. Did I miss anything?"_

"_Not really. We need to do a duet and I picked a song we can use for jazz and glee." _

_You must remember this  
>A kiss is just a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh.<br>The fundamental things apply  
>As time goes by.<em>

_And when two lovers woo  
>They still say, "I love you."<br>On that you can rely  
>No matter what the future brings<br>As time goes by._

_Moonlight and love songs  
>Never out of date.<br>Hearts full of passion  
>Jealousy and hate.<br>Woman needs man  
>And man must have his mate<br>That no one can deny._

_It's still the same old story  
>A fight for love and glory<br>A case of do or die.  
>The world will always welcome lovers<br>As time goes by._

"_You sound great, Blaine!"_

"_Not so bad yourself. With you out of glee club last year I forgot how good you sound. We're gonna kill them." He leaned back on the bed. _

_She reclined beside him as the next song on his playlist started. "When you begin the beguine." She sang softly._

"_Oh, you know that one?"_

"_How could I sing jazz for a year and not recognize Ella Fitzgerald singing Cole Porter?"_

"_Do you know what that means, begin the beguine?"_

"_The beguine is a song or something? As in - they're playing our song?"_

"_Good guess but according to Wikipedia it's a dance, a slow rumba. I don't know what it looks like but I can do a rumba." She laughed at that. "I can! It's a prep-school thing, we had formal dances. Want me to teach you?"_

"_I can't dance. Schuester made that very clear last year."_

"_Schuester! When I visited Kurt last weekend all he did was bitch about Schuester."_

"_That's right! How was your trip to visit Kurt?"_

"_Interesting." He stared at the ceiling. "We're definitely done. It's strange since he's older than me, only a couple of months older really, but I always felt he thought I was glamourous. Worldly. Sophisticated. I know it wasn't intentional but I felt like his 10 year old cousin, hanging out with him and his college friends. He's totally immersed in something that makes him happy. You know how he glows when he's happy? He was radiant." He sighed sadly thinking about how happy Kurt was to be out of Lima. "I expected that to happen. This time we both believed it when we said it was over. Anyway, he kept going on about how much he had to unlearn."_

"_Really?"_

"_Well, not really unlearn. He said his teacher said Kurt had the biggest collection of bad singing habits he'd ever seen. I noticed that when he first came to Dalton, the over-reliance on his falsetto. It's good, his falsetto, but he overuses it. Anyway, this teacher thought Kurt was self-taught. I guess it was retraining as opposed to unlearning." He stood up and held out his hand. "May I have this dance, Ms. Jones?"_

"_I don't rumba." she said standing up and laughing._

"_You'll be great. It's all in the hips. Just follow me."_

_He played the song again and showed her the steps. Then they danced together. When the song ended he pulled her closer and kissed her. A quick, tentative kiss that took her by surprise._

"_Blaine!" she said, shocked. "You're gay!"_

"_Sorry! I'm so sorry." He backed away from her. "I've been wanting to for so long and..." he picked up his books. "I better leave."_

"_Wait a minute." she glanced over at the still sleeping baby. "How long have you been wanting to?"_

"_Since West Side Story." he said looking down._

"_Last year?"_

"_When you auditioned and we had to kiss for that one scene." He looked up at her. "I haven't kissed that many girls but when I did I've never felt anything before. I thought I did once but I was drunk at the time. Sober, not so much. That's why I was so sure I was gay. But then I kissed you. Maybe it sounds crazy, but I liked kissing you as much as I like kissing Kurt. That's crazy, right?"_

"_Not necessarily. You didn't really know either of them but Sam and Shane were like night and day. I had strong feelings for both of them."_

"_Football player Shane?"_

_"Well Sam, Jackie's dad, played football too."_

"_How does he feel about being a father?" Blaine asked, eager to change the subject._

"_He doesn't know he's a father."_

"_He doesn't know? How can that be?"_

"_He left town before I knew I was pregnant."_

"_And there was no way you could get in touch with him?" Hadn't Finn gone somewhere to try to get Sam back but he had family responsibilities and refused? Or something like that? Blaine hadn't paid attention to the details of the story, the whole plan was far-fetched and destined for failure, that Sam would drop everything and come running back as a favor to Finn. But Finn didn't seem to have any trouble locating Sam, he distinctly remembered that part. _

"_He just doesn't know yet, okay?" She glanced back at the baby to make sure she was still sleeping. "So back to West Side Story." The way she smiled at him made him forget the point he was making. He couldn't tell if she thought he was sexy or pathetic. _

"_Okay, back to West Side Story." he put down his books. "I was in love with Kurt then and I didn't want to hurt him because I didn't know what it was I felt when I kissed you. And you had so much going on back then." He didn't add that at the time everybody figured she was being an arrogant diva bitch and Blaine, being new at the time, didn't want to step in the middle of that._

"_You're right about that, my life was complicated enough and I wouldn't have wanted to hurt Kurt either."_

"_You don't have a boyfriend now do you?"_

"_No, I don't have time for a boyfriend."_

"_Well, I don't have a boyfriend either. You wannna..."_

"_Let's try the kiss again, a real kiss this time, so I can make up my mind."_

**15 years later**

"Thank you." Mercedes said, turning over chairs so they could sweep the floors in the coffee shop. "Thank you for not saying I told you so."

"_If you don't know me by now, you'll never ever ever know me_." Blaine sang. Then he laughed, "Besides, I wanted him to stay gone as much as you did. Well, he was gone for 15 years. Now he's back. He seemed to take it well."

"Yes, he was never one to get hysterical. If Jackie wanted to go visit, that'd be okay, don't you think? We could do something special with Ella so she wouldn't feel left out but Jackie going there would be okay, huh?"

"That would be up to Jackie. She's old enough to make up her own mind. I don't know if Quinn would enjoy explaining to people exactly who Jackie is."

"Quinn's not like that. I mean, I don't like her, or at least I didn't like the way she acted back then, but she needed some serious help after she had that baby and she never got it. Her dislike of me had nothing to do with skin-tone, I was connected to a bad memory."

"Good to know. I wouldn't want Jackie to be treated the way some of my supposedly high-class relatives tried to treat you."

"Blaine, they mapped out your whole future the day you were born. When you decided you're not gay after all, even had a real live girlfriend, they started celebrating and planning a wedding. Then they discover not only are you hanging out with a black teen mom, you're planning to spend that money they put aside for Harvard bumming around the world."

"I got more of an education than I would have in a classroom."

"What you said. And all in all, it worked out pretty well. We're having fun, the girls are happy, smart and well-adjusted."

He wrapped his arms around her and tickled her ear with his tongue. "And the sex, don't forget the awesome sex." They stood there swaying, dancing to a tune Blaine started humming, until they were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Closed!" Blaine called.

"It's me, Sam."

"Minute!"

"I noticed the lights were on..."

"Yes, we're just cleaning up." Mercedes said. "It's too late for coffee but we could make you something to eat if you're hungry."

"No thank you." Sam paced the floor of the coffeehouse. "I need to talk about Jackie. At f first I was surprised and didn't know what to think. But the more I think about it, the more upset I'm getting. How could you not tell me?"

"I just didn't." Mercedes said defiantly. "Maybe I was angry that it was so easy for you to get over me. Maybe seeing that new girlfriend reinforced what I always thought, the whole thing was a fluke and I never was your type. Maybe you were just lonely and depressed and that's why you went out with somebody like me. I don't know, it was a long time ago and I didn't want to call you so I never did."

"You can blame me as much as her." Blaine said, putting his arm around his wife. "At first, I nagged her constantly. I told her she was being petty and selfish. That it was an unresolved issue that was bound to blow up one day. But you never called her. And when you didn't call, it seemed like maybe she had a valid point. That you guys had a brief, intense relationship that burned out. Then I fell in love with both of them, Mercedes and Jackie, and I knew you were the only man that could take them away from me. So I stopped asking her to tell you. I knew it was wrong, but that's what I wanted. I started asking her to marry me instead. That took years of convincing."

"So I'm being punished for not being a mind-reader?" Sam asked. "A Christmas card would have made that big a difference?"

"It was 15 years ago. I was young, you were young." she said. "We made lots of mistakes. Except for Jackie maybe the whole thing was a mistake. Not telling you about Jackie was inexcusable, I admit that and I apologize. But she was all I had and once I accepted the fact you weren't coming back for me I didn't want a custody fight. I wanted her all for myself so I did what I did. Sorry. All this time and we haven't spent a day apart but Blaine and I were just discussing it. If Jackie wants to, if you want to, it would be a good idea for her to visit you, meet Rick and Quinn. We can work out the timing. It's about time you two got to know each other."

* * *

><p>As Time Goes By – Dooley Wilson or Rod StewartQueen Latifah duet

* * *

><p>As always, Mercedes and Sam's firstborn is named per Jadziwine's Sam and Mercedes' Tardis adventure (and Jadziwine's writing again - yippie!)<p>

Ella's named after Ella Fitzgerald


	3. Chapter 3

**Fifteen years ago - aka Sam and Quinn's Senior Year of High School**

Nationals. Show Choir Nationals. How odd to be here with his Kentucky school, not New Directions. Sam looked around, trying to compare this hotel in San Diego to the one in New York. Wondering if New Directions had gotten to the finals, Sam was looking over the performance schedule when he heard a familiar voice.

"Hey. I like your hair." he turned and saw Quinn Fabray.

"Hi Quinn." He hugged her. "You're as pretty as ever." Beautiful was more like it.

"Awww, thanks Sam. You always know what to say. How are you, your family?"

"My family's fine thank you. My mom and dad found work, Stevie and Stacey adjusted just fine. Kids, you know how they are. I'm okay."

"Just okay? Nobody special?"

"No, nobody special. Special's hard to find, you know?"

"Don't I."

"What about you, your family?"

"My mom's fine. My dad's on the hook for thousands of dollars. I got into Yale and daddy dearest is paying the bill." She said it like she found it very amusing. "He feels guilty, the way he dumped my mom and me for some floozy. I'm not leaving anybody behind in Lima so it's all good."

"I'm joining the Navy, I'll be at the New London Naval Base. I'm not sure of the distance but maybe I can come visit you in New Haven sometime? Yale's in New Haven, right?"

"Yes and I'd like that." Quinn said smiling. "I'd like that a lot."

**Three years later**

Sam lunged for his phone. He'd been trying to reach Quinn for days and finally, finally she's calling him back.

"Quinn! Are you okay? I was just about to call the police."

"It's Karen, Quinn's roommate?" the voice on the other end said. "We met a couple of times?"

"Oh, sorry. Is Quinn okay?"

"No, I don't think so. Can you get here? Are you local right now or are you on a ship somewhere?"

"No, I'm an hour away."

"Good, can you come to our apartment? I'll hang around to let you in."

Karen opened the door to Sam an hour later. The tall African-American girl looked exhausted. "What's wrong?" Sam asked.

"I don't know, but she's been cutting class. Just sitting around the house eating ice-cream. I hoped maybe you knew. If not I'm calling Yale's health services before it affects her grades. Or worse." she knocked on Quinn's bedroom door. "Hey Quinnie, company." She shoved Sam into the room. "I've got to get to class. I'll come back as soon as I can."

Sam heard the apartment door close behind her. Then he looked at Quinn. He'd never seen her in such bad shape, she was always polished and pulled together. Today she was a wreck. Her hair was oily and stringy. She was wearing a Yale sweatshirt, sitting on the bed, eating a carton of chocolate ice cream. Empty cartons, dirty clothes and books were scattered on the floor. The room was dark, even though it was 10am and sunny outside, and smelled musty.

Sam opened the window.

"Don't! Don't do that!" she yelled at him.

"Do you have a migraine or something?"

"No. I like it dark. I can sit in a dark room if I want to. I can do whatever I want to do!"

"What's wrong? Are you mad at me?"

"You! Why the hell should I be mad sat you?" She tossed the empty carton on the floor and shoved past him on the way to the kitchen. He followed her.

She flung open the refrigerator. "Damn! I told Karen to buy more ice cream! Is listening so hard?"

"Why don't you take a shower and get dressed? I'll take you out for ice cream."

"No!" She looked like she wanted to slap him.

"Why not!" he yelled back.

"Cause I'm a grown woman and can do what I want! Jesus!"

"You're going to take a shower. Come along." He pulled her into the bathroom. Whatever was wrong with her, Quinn needed to be told, not asked, what to do. He sensed that's why Karen looked so tired, probably watching Quinn all night.

He adjusted the water temperature put her in the shower, fully clothed. Thankfully the warm water seemed to calm her down. After a few minutes she undressed and tossed the wet clothes on the bathroom floor. They'd had lots of fun playing in the shower before, but this was not the least bit erotic. "Thank you for coming down." She stuck her head out of the shower. "I've been a beast to Karen. Did she call you?" He was sitting on the toilet lid with his back to her to give her some privacy. She was getting back to the Quinn he knew, which was slightly disturbing considering how quickly she flipped from one to the other.

"Yes, she was worried about you."

"She's a great roommate. And friend, she's put with with so much shit from me. She's the best and I'm the worst."

"What happened?"

She sighed deeply and turned off the water. "Remember how I used to call Berry a drama queen? I'm worse. I thought I was pregnant. Don't worry, I'm not, but I thought it was. Probably stressing over exams but that's what I thought. I'm not usually late but that's all this was, health services confirmed it. Maybe it's because it was the day she was born, the day they said I'm not pregnant." She sighed again. "I'd shave my legs except Karen hid the razor. Can you hand me a towel please and let me get dressed? Don't worry, I can handle it from here."

Sam was picking up ice cream cartons when Quinn came back into her bedroom.

"Thank you." she started picking up dirty clothes. "I wondered if I would keep the baby, or give another baby away, or give it to you to take care of. Then, when I wasn't, I wondered if I was being punished for being selfish, if I'd never get the chance to be a mother."

"God's not like that."

"I know. I just can't control how I think sometimes." She sat on the edge of the bed, twisting a dirty shirt in her hands. "I decided to try to get some help. About Lima and everything. I thought I could just forget it, make myself forget it. They have counselors here. It's free and confidential. I won't have people telling me to 'get over it'."

"I'd never say that."

"I know you wouldn't." She stood up and took the trash bag from Sam's hands. "Would you mind terribly if we skipped the ice cream? I've had enough to last me a year. What if we just went out for coffee and talked instead?"

* * *

><p><strong>Back to the setting of the story<strong>

"So, how did things go in Lima?" Quinn asked, wiping her hands on her apron. Her hair was slightly darker, she was a few pounds heavier but she was still a gorgeous woman. And if ever a woman looked natural cooking in heels, pearls and an apron it was Quinn. It could have been 1950 the way she was dressed. "Company." she said noticing his puzzled look. "Our new neighbors? Nice gay couple. Adam's a choreographer down in Manhattan. They have teen-aged son and they're starting to worry about his friends so they're moving to the country. That what he called it, the country." She laughed. "He ought to see Ohio. I didn't meet the husband, or other father I guess. They also have a little girl in Rick's class. I'm pretty sure I mentioned it." She kissed Sam and took his overnight bag. "You look tired. You have time for a nap, a short nap. Or do you want a drink?" She studied him. "Everything okay, Sam?"

"Yes. No. I don't know."

"What's wrong?" Worry was starting to seep into her voice.

"You remember Mercedes? Mercedes Jones from high school?"

"Yes, I remember her."

"Well, not many people knew it but we had a thing that summer before I left Lima. I haven't heard from her since but she, we, had a baby. Not a baby, a 14 year old girl now."

"You're kidding!" Quinn sat down. "14 years and she didn't say as word? Are you sure you're the father?"

"Mercedes wasn't like that, that they'd be lots of possible fathers. I accidentally ran into her at a coffee shop. She wasn't trying to track me down for child support, she doesn't want anything." He showed Quinn the pictures he'd taken of Jackie. "Her name is Jackie, middle name Samantha. Looking in her eyes is like looking at Rick. She's an Evans alright."

"So what now?"

"I don't know. The only thing Jackie wants is to meet Rick. She has a younger sister named Ella and she wants to meet her brother. There's more to be done in Lima anyway, do you want to go? We could do it either way, Jackie could come here or we could go there." He looked at the family portrait hanging over the fireplace, a formal portrait of the three of them, all-American blonds posed against a white background. "And we have to figure out how to tell Rick."

* * *

><p>Rick Evans sat looking at his dinner guests, specifically Elise and her older brother Max. Elise looked like her dad, same blue eyes and pale complexion, and Max looked like his dad, dark eyes and olive complexion. Rick figured that's to be expected with a gay couple, there's no biological tie between Max and Elise. Of particular interest was the age difference, about the same as the difference between him and his newly found sister. Half-sister. He really didn't know what to think about having a half-sister. Should he be shocked, jealous, angry, embarrassed? He decided to reserve judgement on that issue until he met Jackie.<p>

Quinn looked at her dinner guests. First Mercedes resurfaces, with Sam's daughter yet, and now this. Kurt Hummel's her new next door neighbour. She'd been so careful to distance herself from Lima. That was done, dead, buried. She knew sooner or later she'd have to go there to finish up her mother's estate but Sam was more than willing to do the bulk of the work. They seemed to get along better when one's out of town anyway. Could have been worse, she thought. It could have been Santana. Or Puck! That gave her chills.

Adam found the whole thing fascinating, that Quinn and Kurt had gone to high school together. He also found it fascinating that neither one of them had any desire to discuss those days. No, these two were not going to pull out yearbooks or sing the high-school fight song. Adam knew that high school had been hell for Kurt, with the exception of his boyfriend Blaine in senior year. Even that was not an entirely happy memory. He knew Kurt felt bad about leaving Blaine stranded there, Blaine being a year behind Kurt. Maybe it was the same for Quinn, she'd left things behind in Lima she didn't want to think about too. Couldn't blame them really, not like he was itching to go back to Indiana. New Haven is country enough for Adam Bronstein.

* * *

><p>"How old were you when you met Kurt?" Rick asked. The children had been excused and were hanging out in Rick's room. Max was insulted that at nearly 15 he was expected to stay with 'the children' but analyzing Rick's belongings was interesting. The bad thing about New Haven was it's boring compared to Manhattan. The good thing is space. No matter what you do there's only so much room in a two bedroom apartment. Rick's room is half the size of their old place and it's packed full of diversions. Much nicer than sharing a room with an 8 year old girl like back home.<p>

"I don't remember, I guess 6 or thereabouts. I lived with my mom, then she dumped me with my grandma, them Adam picked me up and brought me to New York."

"You didn't know your father before that?"

"I'd met him a couple of times before that but my mom, my mom had a lot of problems. I think she was mad at Adam, plus she kept getting new boyfriends and moving in with them. Her last boyfriend didn't want a kid, that's why she had to get rid of me. For all I know she forgot where she left me. I'm better off with Dad and Kurt. Why do you ask?"

"Turns out I have a sister." Rick said angrily. It was pretty outrageous, the more the thought about it.

"No!" Elise said. "I wish I had a secret sister."

"So do I. A SECRET sister." Max teased. "What does she look like?"

"This is her. Jackie's her name." Rick showed him the picture.

"She's pretty. What do you know about her?"

"Her parents are hippies. They just roam around the world like vagabonds. They practically stand on the corner singing for money."

"Really?" Elise asked. "They're that poor?"

"No, actually the dad is rich and the mom's not hurting for money either. They're just crazy. Eccentric's just a polite word for crazy, even I know that. It's a wonder my sister's not crazy. She seems normal enough." He pulled up a video on his laptop. "See, here she is at a coffeehouse they all live in singing their "theme song". They have a family song. Maybe she is crazy. Who has a family song?"

_I'll light the fire  
>You put the flowers in the vase<br>That you bought today_

_Staring at the fire_  
><em>For hours and hours<em>  
><em>While I listen to you<em>  
><em>Play your love songs<em>  
><em>All night long for me<em>  
><em>Only for me<em>

_Come to me now_  
><em>And rest your head for just five minutes<em>  
><em>Everything is good<em>  
><em>Such a cozy room<em>  
><em>The windows are illuminated<em>  
><em>By the sunshine through them<em>  
><em>Fiery gems for you<em>  
><em>Only for you<em>

_Our house is a very, very fine house_  
><em>With two cats in the yard<em>  
><em>Life used to be so hard<em>  
><em>Now everything is easy<em>  
><em>'Cause of you<em>  
><em>And our la,la,la, la,la, la, la, la, la, la, la...<em>

"Who's the other girl?" Elise asked. She decided not to mention her Aunt Rachel had a family theme song.

"Her friend. Ilsa I guess her name is. The intro says Ilsa and Jack. People call her that sometimes, Jack. Another odd thing."

"Kids," Kurt ducked his head in the doorway. "We have to go." He listened for a second. "What's that you're watching?"

"Music." Max said. "Kurt can't walk away from music." he whispered to Rick.

"Pretty voice. That song's ancient, it was old when I was a kid. Come on Elise, bedtime. Nice to meet you Rick."

* * *

><p>"Howdy, neighbour!" Kurt said, offering Quinn a coffee cake early the next morning.<p>

"Well, if somebody from McKinley had to show up I'm glad it was you." She opened the door wide for Kurt to enter.

"Well, thanks, I guess. Just a warning, where ever I am Rachel's likely to visit."

"That's good." She poured a cup of coffee for Kurt. "Maybe we can wrestle her into a school benefit performance. Get you a ton of brownie points with the PTA."

"I'll try. But how are you? I heard there's an unexpected family addition."

"How did you know that?" Quinn crossed her arm protectively across her stomach.

"That's not at all what I meant." Kurt said, noticing the motion. "I'm talking about Jackie. Elise is the world's worst secret-keeper. I explained to her, again, about family business and public business. She told me, and Adam, but I think she can remember to keep it to herself. But are additional congratulations in order?"

"Sam doesn't know, I just found out the other day. Then he came home and dropped a bomb."

"What Sam doesn't know could fill a book." Sam said walking into the kitchen. He gave Quinn a peck on the forehead and headed to the coffeemaker. "Pour you a cup?" he asked his wife.

"No thanks, I'm cutting back." She winked at Kurt.

"Okay, Welcome to New Haven, Kurt. I hope you like it here."

"I'm sure we will."

Quinn headed out of the kitchen. "Going somewhere?" Sam asked.

"I have to take Rick to Robotics camp. Course I have to drag him out of bed first."

"Do you want me to?"

"No, you just sit and relax. We'll be back in a couple of hours. I've got something I need to discuss with you."

Sam stared after Quinn and then turned to Kurt. "Did you know? Did you know about Jackie?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me, that time you guys came down to Kentucky?"

"I didn't know then. Nobody knew. They thought she was just, I don't know, being Mercedes. She was heavy, nobody noticed any extra weight. Then she pretty much dropped out of school. She was gone for months. I went over to visit her a couple of times but she'd just sit there staring into space, her mind somewhere else. She obviously didn't want visitors so I stopped trying. The only person who saw her was Tina and she didn't say anything to us about Mercedes. Then, she suddenly reappears singing with the Jazz Ensemble. And she was noticeably thinner, I thought she'd been sick or something. Peachy, that's what she said if you asked how she was. And one day I saw her out with the baby. I didn't know she had a baby before that, at first I thought she was babysitting. I thought of Shane, this boyfriend she had for a while, but then I saw the baby and remember I had seen you two together once."

"Why didn't you call me then?"

"I figured you already knew. Mercedes was a mystery to me, why she did most of the things she did that year. Why wouldn't you know?"

"You know, I just don't know how to process this." He spun the coffee cup in his hands. "I'm angry with Mercedes for not telling me, I'm angry at Blaine for not making her tell me, I'm angry with Jackie because she has some of his mannerisms. Ella, she's the only one I'm not angry with."

"That's right! She's married to Blaine."

"You know him?"

"Used to. They came to our wedding 8 years ago. They have a child too, Ella?"

"Yes, Ella. About 12 or so. Anyway, when I'm not mad at all of them I feel guilty."

"Why guilty?"

"Because she's right. I never dated a girl like her, a heavy girl, before or since. Maybe I really am a shallow jerk but if it hadn't been for my financial situation I would never have spent that kind of time with her, gotten to know her well enough to have feelings for her. And then, it was out of sight, out of mind, like she said. And Jesus, it wouldn't have killed me to drop a card in the mail. I just didn't think of it. She gave me this watch the last time she saw me. It was the most expensive thing I owned for years. She must have saved up for a long time to buy it. I look at it every day but I didn't think to call her. No wonder she felt like I didn't deserve to know Jackie."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Hell if I know. It's up to Jackie. She and Ella are as tight as twins. I'm not going to rip her out of the only family she's ever known. Heck, I may not have a home much longer."

"What does that mean?"

"Me. Quinn. It's not working out that well, living in the same place. I'm thinking of reenlisting. That's probably the only way we can stay married."

"What about your son?"

"I barely know him. He doesn't give a damn one way or the other. I just interrupt their routine."

"You didn't ask, but my advice? Get to know Rick. Max was only a little younger when I first met him but now we're 'thick as thieves'. That's an expression Adam uses. You missed seeing Jackie grow up, don't miss out on Rick. Tag along to Robotics camp. That's my unsolicited advice."

* * *

><p><strong>Our House - Crosby, Stills, Nash &amp; Young<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

"Wait here." Blaine put the suitcase in the hotel room and came out for his bride, waiting patiently in the hallway. He picked her up and carried her over the threshold.

"Wow, it only took us two kids and 10 years to have a honeymoon."

He deposited her on the bed. "You're definitely worth waiting for." He sprawled alongside her. "What's your pleasure?" he asked with a leer.

"We've been together for 15 years, I think you figured out the pleasure part the first night! But we can do that later. We're in Manhattan without the kids! I got us tickets to the the-a-ther! A revival of _How To Succeed in Business_. Then dinner or room service, your pick since I picked the play."

"How much time do we have before the play?"

"Two hours."

"Plenty of time." he said, sliding his hand up her skirt.

* * *

><p>Jackie pulled out her journal and added New Haven, Connecticut to her list of places she never wanted to see again. New Haven and Rick Evans. Sam is nice, Quinn is nice but Rick's an arrogant, spoiled brat who took an instant dislike to Jackie. But not to Ella. Jackie wrote that down. She decided to add a sketch to her notes, Rick and Ella playing chess. That made Jackie happy – one that Ella agreed to stay in New Haven with her instead of going to New York with their parents and two that Ella's kicking his ass. Rick was all smiles when he first sat down but shit, Jackie's as good as Rick is. Ella's competition good, as Rick soon realized. Jackie half expected him to pitch a fit, the way he was acting towards her earlier, but no, he's treating Ella with actual respect.<p>

"Where did she learn to play?" Suddenly Sam was sitting next to her.

Jackie closed the notebook. "Our dad. He taught mom in high school. She said it was something quiet they could do while I was asleep. When we travelled a chessboard is easy to carry and it's international. You don't have to speak the language to play. They taught us, that and the guitar. Another easy thing to carry."

"You play the guitar? I thought you just sing."

"We both play. I didn't bring it with me this weekend. Mom said you play? That you taught her?"

"Yes, I gave her lessons and she insisted on paying me. She figured it was the only way I'd take money from her, if it was a job, not charity. That's kind of how I got to know her."

"Didn't you know her before, from the singing group?"

"We were both in it but I didn't really know her. That came later."

"Did you miss her, after you left town?" Sam hesitated. That was an uncomfortable question and she was staring at him, head tilted to one side, the way he noticed Blaine does sometimes. Then she smiled like he'd just confirmed what she already knew. "That's okay, you don't have to answer that. I'm just being nosey. Bad habit I picked up from dad. Mom says he's shameless. He says he's showing interest in the other person." She thought for a few minutes.

"You wouldn't have joined the Navy, would you, if you'd come back to Lima? You couldn't have, not with those kinds of responsibilities. And she wouldn't have married dad and Ella would be a totally different person, if there was an Ella at all, maybe there would an Ellis or an Elliot. I'd be a totally different person too." He wondered if that's how the situation had been explained to her. "I like it this way."

Sam noticed how mature she seemed, for a girl of 14. "You asked me a question and it deserves a real answer. Honestly, I did miss your mom. At first I thought about her constantly. Her not being there was an ache that wouldn't stop. Only the ache did stop. I had three jobs that summer, all I did was work, sleep and watch my brother and sister. Finally we had enough money to rent a place. When school started I was down to one job. I was so tired, helping to support my family but I had to, they really needed the money. And gradually I started thinking about things down there, where I lived. I should have called or come back for a visit. I really regret that. It must have been so hard for her, going through the whole thing alone. And then she had you as a constant reminder. She didn't have the option of forgetting and moving on."

"She did okay."

"She did better than okay. She and Blaine do whatever they want to do, you girls have seen the world. None of that would have happened if I came back."

"You're right, my life is better than okay." She smiled and patted Sam's hand. "Do you still have your guitar?"

"No, I kind of lost track of it over the years."

"Well, the next time you're in Lima I'll play for you."

"Max has a guitar." Rick said, pushing himself away from the chessboard. "Ella, Can we play again, later? You're better than any kid I know. Makes the game interesting, you know?"

"Sure, anytime. Who's Max?"

"Neighbour. His dad's a singing teacher and Max gets paid to accompany the students. He's just next door."

* * *

><p>"Where is everybody?" Quinn asked putting down her briefcase beside the door she'd just entered the house by.<p>

"They went next door to visit Max. How are you feeling?" Sam took her arm guided her to the sofa. Then he propped her feet up on the coffee table.

"Sam, I'm just pregnant. I've been through this before."

"But I haven't. I missed so much with Rick. This time it'll be different."

"Speaking of different, how was Robotics?"

"I liked it. The girls stayed here and it was just 'man time'. I think, he didn't say it but I think, Rick's getting used to me, used to the idea that I'm not leaving this time. It was hardest on him, me being gone so much."

"So you're looking forward to being Mr. Mom?" She laughed. "Terrible timing, me being offered a partnership at the law firm right now. I could still say no."

"As if." He kissed her"This is perfect. Rick and the new baby will be my job. Maybe I'll squeeze in some classes."

"It's amazing." Quinn said, clasping his hand, "We came so close to throwing this whole thing away. I never believed in babies as relationship savers, they're just the opposite usually."

"That's a lot of responsibility to put on a little baby." He said looking into those beautiful eyes. He hoped the new baby has her eyes. "Saving this relationship is up to you and me. I'm ready to do whatever it takes."

"You always do."

* * *

><p>Mercedes gasped for breath, wondering if this is what people mean by vacation sex. Having sex at night was slightly different for them, normally they preferred the afternoons. Afternoons were slow at the coffeehouse and the girls were in school so they didn't have to worry about noise. Sex in a new location wasn't new, they lived in a small oceanfront village in the Philippines for five years. And sex with Blaine had always been good but tonight he's outdoing himself.<p>

"Jesus baby, you're killing me!"

"Serves you right. I didn't notice what you were wearing when we left the hotel. Then, when you took off your coat at the play and I saw you in that blue dress! I don't even remember what we saw, I was so distracted." She rolled over so she was on top. "Damn, I love that view!" he said, reaching up to cup her breasts in his hands. "And damn, I love you!"

**15 years ago**

_"You guys look like an old married couple." Mrs. Jones said. "Here is it Saturday night, Valentine's day, and you've spent the day at Chuckie Cheese. Thank you for making sure she's exhausted enough to sleep all night, but you should go out somewhere. Have fun."_

_Blaine closed the history book he was tired of looking at. "Thank you Mrs. Jones. How about it Merce, just for a couple of hours?"_

_"Thanks mom. We'll be back in a few hours."_

_The fact that every restaurant in Lima would be booked on Saturday, February 14, hadn't occurred to either of them but was quickly pointed out. Several times. You'd think it was some kind of holiday._

_"Now what?" Mercedes asked sitting in the car outside Breadsticks, watching sleet bounce against the car windows._

_"I'll make you something. We can drive out to my house and I'll cook you something."_

_"You cook?"_

_"People rave over my grilled cheese sandwich."_

_"They do?"_

_"No, they don't but nobody's died yet."_

_"Nice name for a restaurant. Nobody's Died Yet. Anyway there's your folks. They don't like me and who'd suspect a poisoned cheese sandwich?"_

_"I'll be your official food taster. Plus, they're not home. Family wedding in Toledo tomorrow morning. They're at the rehearsal dinner right now."_

_Blaine made grilled cheese, Mercedes pulled together a soup with leftovers from the refrigerator and they shared one glass of wine. The sleet on the way over to Blaine's reminded him that he didn't want to drink too much before driving her home. They were sitting on a blanket in front of the fireplace, eating sandwiches when Mercedes' mother called._

_"Hey mom, is Jackie okay?"_

_"Jackie's fine. She's still asleep. Where are you?"_

_"Blaine's house. He's just about to drive me back home."_

_"Have you looked out the window lately?"_

_She jumped up and looked out the window. "Shit! I mean, darn! Hey Blaine, look!"_

_"Sudden ice storm. There's accidents all over the place. Never thought I'd say this but.." her mother hesitated. "Stay where you are. Don't worry about Jackie. I don't want you guys on the road in this mess."_

_"You sure? Blaine's got four wheel drive."_

_"That's just four wheels spinning on the ice. Just stay there. And Mercedes, be careful. I guess I should have mentioned that when you were dating Sam, except I didn't know you were dating Sam, did I?"_

_"Mom!"_

_"One baby's poor planning. Two's a life-style decision, if you see what I mean."_

_"Ok! We'll leave as soon as it's safe." she disconnected from the phone call._

_"It's magical." Blaine said, still looking out the window at the half inch of ice that glazed the streets and trees. "Treacherous to drive in but pretty to look at. Let's get started before it gets any worse." He reached for his coat._

_"My mom, she wants me to stay here." Blaine looked puzzled. "She said it's dangerous on the roads. Of course she implied it's dangerous here too." she added with a nervous chuckle._

_Blaine sat down on the sofa. "Mercedes, we never talked about it but now's a good time. I love you, you know that right?"_

_"And I love you, Blaine. And I want to be with you, but the odds. I only slept with Sam a couple of times and see what happened."_

_"We could use condoms, if I had any."_

_"Me neither."_

_"Just because about we're all alone, for the whole night, doesn't necessarily mean we have to have sex."_

_"True."_

_"I mean, if you don't want to, if you don't feel comfortable about it, we don't have to. That's the most important thing, that you feel comfortable."_

_She looked into his deep brown eyes. Trouble was she wanted to, she really wanted to. "We could do other stuff." She suggested. "As long as we both knew when to stop."_

_"Well, Miss Jones," he said with a smile that lit up his face, "let's start in the shower and see what we come up with. Trust me, you won't get pregnant, not tonight. That's kind of my speciality."_

**end flashback**

"I talked to Quinn this morning, while you were in the shower." Mercedes said as they stood in front of the hotel, waiting for the cab to the train station for their return to New Haven and their daughters.

"Oh yeah? What did she have to say, the girls are monsters and she put them out?"

"No, she said they're perfect angels, which is true. She also said her neighbors are coming to dinner tonight."

"Okay."

"Kurt's her neighbour."

"No shit! Really? Kurt Hummel?"

"If that's still his last name but same Kurt."

"Don't worry baby, I'm not going to jump all over him." He put his arm around her waist. "Not when I know what's waiting for me at home. Just like you didn't run off with Sam. You're stuck with me."

* * *

><p>"Blaine! You look fantastic."<p>

"Thanks Kurt. You too! Adam! Great to see you again."

"Blaine, I'll finally get a chance to talk to you. At our wedding there wasn't much time to talk. Now you can tell me all of Kurt's secrets."

Kurt laughed "There's no secrets, just boring details. Mercedes, it's been so long, we should talk."

"Sure, I've got lots of secrets." she winked at Blaine. "But the big one got out already."

Quinn was passing appetizers. "Nice to see you again, Mercedes. Your girls are beautiful."

"Thank you, Rick's quite the handsome gentleman."

Quinn looked at Rick and smiled. "Jackie probably doesn't think so. He's upset and not being as well-behaved as he usually is. Sorry if he's coming across as rude."

"Don't apologize. Jackie and Ella both knew the story. I can see how you guys are shocked at the news. He just needs time."

Jackie and Sam were sitting on one side of the room, playing Max's guitar. Max stared at Jackie, he was definitely straight. Rick glared at them. Then he went to a quiet corner and started reading a book on chess strategy. Ella sat down beside him and tried to get him to talk, which he didn't, so she abandoned that effort and started playing with Elise and her stuffed animals.

"You were such a beautiful bride." Mercedes said looking at one of the pictures on the sofa table. Sam in his Navy uniform, Quinn in a form-fitting white dress and a veil, carrying red roses and standing on a deck overlooking the ocean. "Where was this?"

"San Diego. Sam was stationed there. It was kind of impulsive, getting married, but we just decided it was the right time. Karen, my best friend, drove down from LA. My mom flew out, Sam's family came. It was a small wedding but Sam was there, that's all I needed." She crossed her arm across her stomach and Mercedes noticed.

"Are you?"

"Yes. Rick already knows, another thing he's upset about, but we're announcing it tonight."

"Congratulations!"

"Thanks." She laughed again. "And when did you guys get married?"

"Ten years ago. We lived in the Philippines at house we rented from a cousin of Blaine's. They use the term 'cousin' loosely there or else he was related to the whole village. His mom is from there and he wanted to know that side of his family."

"Ella was born there?"

"No, Ella was born in Toronto. Neither of us really wanted to go to college, but we took college courses to make our, well Blaine's, parent's happy and he picked a college there. You ever see "I didn't know I was pregnant"? That was Ella. Totally unexpected. Blaine wanted to get married at the time but I didn't. So then he wanted to go visit his mother's people. That's why we were in the Philippines."

"Then what happened? Why did you change your mind?" Kurt asked, sitting on the arm of the sofa.

"He was reading a book to the girls. Sounds silly because he did that all the time, but he was sitting on the front steps, reading a book to the girls. Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters. It's a Cinderella story except both sisters are pretty, one's kind and one's selfish. He was sitting there reading to them. Jackie was four, Ella was two. Jackie was pulling his hair and Ella was trying to wiggle out of his lap. Something about that made me know right then that I was supposed to marry him. We got married on the beach. Instead of flowers we carried babies with flowers in their hair.

_Night and day, you are the one  
>Only you beneath the moon or under the sun<br>Whether near to me, or far  
>It's no matter darling where you are<br>I think of you  
>Day and night, night and day.<em>

That's what we danced to. Crazy story, huh?"

"Not really." Kurt said. "I knew that I was in love with Adam, I knew Max came with the package but I didn't know if I wanted kids. Max and I got along but he wasn't my responsibility, you know? So Adam had to go out of town for a tour and, of course, Max came down with the flu. God it was a mess, coming out both ends and Adam couldn't get back. I'd never so much as taken care of a cat, let alone a real live human. I called Dad and Carol and they walked me though keeping Max alive. I didn't know if I could be a dad, my dad set the bar pretty high. But I took care of him and that's how I knew we're supposed to be a family. So I just moved in and started making wedding plans. When Adam came off his tour he wasn't even surprised that I lived there now. He said we should look for a surrogate that looked like me and within a year we were married and had Elise. First dance -

_If I had a box just for wishes,  
>and dreams that had never come true,<br>the box would be empty except for the memory  
>of how they were answered by you.<em>"

"Junior year of college." Quinn said, staring at Sam. "I got really sick and Sam spent a weekend nursing me back to health. That's when I knew. Course I had to wait two years for him to know and ask me, but that's when I knew. Our first dance,

_And when I go away,  
>I know my heart can stay with my love,<br>it's understood.  
>It's in the hands of my love,<br>cause my love, does it good  
>Only my love holds the other key to me.<em>"

And Quinn was mostly telling the truth. The thing that sealed it for her was the card Sam sent her exactly one year later. "I know today's a hard day" the card read, "but somebody somewhere is thanking God for you. P.S. I'm thanking God for you, too. Love, Sam."

* * *

><p>"So, how do you like your new family?" Blaine asked, sitting on the edge of one of the twin beds in the guest room while the girls packed their bags for the flight back to Lima.<p>

"They're not my family." Jackie answered. "You guys are."

"They're family." Blaine repeated. "How do you like them?"

"The adults are decent. Really nice. Rick..."

"Is young" Ella added. "he's just young, Jack. Decent chess player."

"Well that settles it." Jackie said, lifting her suitcase. "He's got Ella's seal of approval."

"A older sister and a new baby. That's a lot to take in at one time."

"I didn't act that way when Ella came along." She said with conviction.

"You were 2 years old. You don't remember a time before Ella."

"I still wouldn't have acted that way. Suppose Kurt had a baby from way back when and you just found out about it? I wouldn't act like that."

"Jackie, do we have to have that talk again?" he said with a laugh.

"I said 'suppose'. That makes it a hypothetical situation that took place in a universe where men get pregnant." she explained as if she were talking to a young child, an especially dense young child.

"Got it. So Rick aside, what's next?"

"Sam's going to visit me when he's in Lima. And we'll talk on the phone or email. That's it for now, he doesn't want to force a relationship. Sorry but you're stuck with me."

* * *

><p>First dance song<p>

Blaine and Mercedes – Night And Day – Ella Fitzgerald or John Barrowman  
>Kurt and Adam - Time In A Bottle – Jim Croce<br>Sam and Quinn – My Love – Paul McCartney


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey Sam." Mercedes motioned for Blaine to turn down the sound on what he was listening to, classical music today. "Jackie's not home from school yet. I can have her call you as soon as she gets home."

"No, I need to talk to you first."

"Sure. You okay?"

"Not really." she heard him sob on the other end of the line.

"Sam? Are Quinn and the baby okay?" Mercedes shrugged at Blaine, who was looking over at her.

"No, Quinn and the baby are fine."

"Rick, is he okay?" Sam started sobbing again. "Sam? What's wrong?"

"Rick's been ill and they just figured out what's wrong. The doctors.." he took a deep breath. "It's leukemia."

"Oh my God!" suddenly Blaine was standing beside her, guiding her to a chair. "I'm so sorry. What can we do to help?"

"They say his prognosis is good. If. If he gets a bone marrow transplant. The baby, they can do something with the umbilical cord after the baby's born but if Jackie was a good match we could do something right away, before he gets worse."

"Of course. When do you need her out there?"

"First they have to test her to see if she matches. She can do it there and send the results here. Bone marrow transplants, it's not dangerous for her but it hurts. If she matched she'd have to come here and it hurts. And I know they don't get along."

"Sam, don't worry about that. You're family. Tell me what I need to do on this end. I know her. If you need her she'll be there."

* * *

><p>"Jackie matches 5 of the 7 markers we're looking for." Dr. Haynes reported. "That's the best match we've found so far, even searching our nationwide database. New donors register all the time so maybe a better match will show up but if Rick were my son, I'd go with his sister. Have the umbilical blood stored, just in case, but we can get a greater volume from Jackie. She's a decent match."<p>

"But what if," Quinn asked, staring at the oncologist, "What if there's another half-sister?"

"Quinn, we don't have time to find her." Sam said, his arm around her.

"I know where she is."

* * *

><p><strong>Two months earlier<strong>

"Thanks for coming over Kurt. I foolishly volunteered for the PTA fundraiser and only just remembered there's world-class vocalist living next door."

"Thank you for the compliment. I can't tell you how much it helps me having Sam pick up Elise from school. It's my pleasure to be able to help you for a change."

"Great. There's already a group of singers at the school and I heard this song they'd do a great job on. Listen, particularly to the end, it's so beautiful."

_I won't say that I won't love anymore  
>but I don't say a lot of things<br>And you, my love, are gone._

_So glide away on soapy heels  
>and promise not to promise anymore<br>and if you come around again  
>then I'll unlock the chain from off the door<em>

Kurt closed his eyes and listened to the three, maybe four women's voices weaving in and out, repeating the last verse in a round. "It is beautiful." he said opening his eyes. "Can I hear it again?"

"It's Sam's daughter. Rick showed it to me before he made up his mind if he liked Jackie or not."

"What did he decide?"

"He doesn't like her and the feeling's mutual. We're going to Lima at spring break, maybe they just need to spend time together. I don't have much family so it's a shame if they don't grow to like each other."

Kurt half listened to Quinn as he looked at the screen. It was four voices, Jackie, Mercedes, Jackie's friend Ilsa and a woman Quinn presumed was Ilsa's mom.

"I know her!" Kurt said, pointing to Ilsa's mom. "She taught at NAYDA. Excellent vocal coach, wonder how she ended up in Lima? Kurt, she said, You're killing me with that falsetto. Ten years from now you want them to say how skilled you are, how mature your voice is. You don't want them to talk about what a shame it is you lost your range." He smiled at the memory. "She was brutal, half the school was afraid of her. The thing about her was, no matter how hard on you she was in rehearsal, at a performance she'd be in the front row, her little girl in her lap, looking like you'd made her so proud. Shelby was the best teacher I've every had."

"Shelby? Shelby what?" Quinn had only met Shelby one, almost 17 years ago, and didn't recognize the older woman with a different hair cut.

"Cocoran. The little girl was Bess, Bree, something like that."

"Beth?"

"Could have been. It that her?" He peered at the screen. "Damn I feel old."

"Her name's Ilsa."

"Ilsa's the same name as Elizabeth." He noticed Quinn staring at him and explained. "My mom's name was Elizabeth so Adam and I looked it up when we knew we were having a girl. Elise, Liza, Liesel, Ilsa, Bette, Isabelle. All forms of the name Elizabeth. She probably thought Beth was too plain, teenaged girls are like that. My students are constantly changing their names. Do you know her?"

"I used to."

Alone again, Quinn looked at the video. The first few times she'd mostly looked at Jackie, at how Sam's mouth and eyes fit with Mercedes' nose and hair. How her skin color was halfway between theirs. She was a pretty, exotic looking girl. Then she looked at Mercedes. She was thinner, the hair was different and she gave off an air of happiness Quinn didn't remember. Back then Mercedes seemed uncomfortable, unsure of herself when it came to anything other than music. Now she seemed radiantly happy, she almost glowed.

Quinn never thought Mercedes was pretty back in high school. Mostly it was her weight, Quinn had been heavy when she was younger and did something about it. She never understood why Mercedes didn't take care of that problem. Quinn had taken care of all of her problems, even if it meant killing Lucy in the process. No, Lucy was the shell that had to be broken so the butterfly could emerge.

But Mercedes was kind, the depths of her kindness were apparent to her when Quinn stayed with her while waiting for Beth to be born, That was the closest Quinn had ever come to having a real friend, and Quinn walked out on that because Mercedes reminded her to two people she wanted to erase from her life. Lucy and Beth. That's probably why Sam fell in love with, her generous spirit. Knowing Sam she could understand that. Why hadn't they tried to do a long-distance relationship. Why hadn't she called Sam about the baby? Why, why, why?

Ilsa she didn't pay much attention to originally. There was nothing about the girl that stuck in your mind. Average height, average to slightly chubby build, nondescript blondish hair, brown eyes. She'd be pretty with a little makeup and if she did something with her hair but right now she's nothing you'd look twice at. Looking closer she could see it, Ilsa did look like an unaltered 17 year old Lucy Fabray, the girl her parents insisted she'd grow into if she'd waited. But Quinn wanted results and she wanted them now. She wanted every trace of Lucy eradicated immediately. The mother was just that, the mother. Quinn barely noticed her until Kurt pointed her out.

* * *

><p>"I'm not doing it and nobody can make me do it!" Ilsa walked in circles around her dining room table.<p>

"Fine! Don't do it." Jackie said, trying to stay calm. "Let the kid die, see if I care."

"She can't just breeze into my life, trying to lay a guilt trip on me."

"No, she can't."

"You don't even like the kid."

"You got me there."

"She's just a stupid slut, only thinking about herself, what she wants."

"That's kind of harsh, don't you think? She was younger than you are right now."

"I met my biological father." Ilsa sat down next to Jackie. "He hit on me, did I tell you that? Started singing some stupid song about a girl named Beth. I was so traumatized I had to change my name. He didn't know who I was at the time but he knew I was young, the ass. That's why I stole the yearbooks first chance I got, just to see if he was always like that. He was a man-whore back then too. "I rode the Puckasaur". Anybody who slept with that would have to be a stupid slut by definition."

"Okay, maybe the stupid part but I met her, she's not at all slutty."

"Maybe she learned to hide it well. I don't care, still not gonna do it."

"How many times you gonna say that? Don't do it! I can do it. All you have to do is spit on a stick to find out if you matched. If spitting on a stick would save somebody's life and you're not willing to do that then you're not willing to do that. Oh, you'd collect money for kids in Africa or some shit but you're being all spiteful over this. You'd do it for a stranger and you know it. Spite, that's all this is."

"Jackie..."

"I know how you feel, Ilsa, about that tearful reunion with your 'real' mom who's been crying herself to sleep every night all these years. I used to fantasize about my 'real' dad all the time. Every time they pissed me off I thought about how my 'real' dad was looking to rescue me from their bullshit. And when Sam didn't show up it made me even madder. I even told him, my dad, once, "You're not my father and you can't tell me what to do." And he said "That's true, but as long as you're living in my house yada yada yada". You'd think he'd come up with something more original than that. But my dad loves me, that's real. And Shelby and Brad love you, that's real. Since I met Sam I don't even think of him as my 'real dad' anymore."

"Well, that's easy to be generous when you won the long lost dad sweepstakes. He's good-looking and nice. You know what a spiteful ass he could have been about this? I used to know a kid who got bounced across town constantly at the whim of parents who used him as a bargaining chip. Your dad only cares about what you want. And he would have been looking this whole time, if he knew he was supposed to be looking. Her, she found me quick enough when she needed something." She stared at Jackie. "Plus, you don't even like your brother."

"Okay, so let's agree you don't like her much. But she did the best she could at the time, she picked a good mom for you. Maybe it was just too hard for her, seeing you and being reminded of everything. And it's true, I don't like Rick. But he's just a little kid and I don't want to see him dead. I couldn't forgive myself for not even trying."

"well I guess that makes you the better person."

"Yes it does." She said with exaggerated primness. "Just remember, you'll regret this one day. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow.."

"You're fucking quoting Casablanca? I don't believe you! Haven't you ever seen a movie that's not a hundred years old?"

"Fine." She stood up, her green eyes blazing. "I'm out of here. I'm going to New Haven."

"I'm sorry." Ilsa reached for the younger girls hand. "I'm sorry for saying that, I didn't mean to make fun of you. I like watching old movies with you and Ella, you know that."

"It's okay." Her slightly odd upbringing was a sore spot but Jackie was quick to forgive. "I know you're scared and angry. Just pretend he's nobody. Let's pretend they had a donor drive at school and you matched some random sick kid in Connecticut. Somebody you don't know shit about, just a stranger on the bus. You'd help a stranger on the bus. Please?"

* * *

><p>"Hey baby" Shelby gently wiped Ilsa's forehead. "How are you feeling?"<p>

"Sore and achy. Is that normal?" Sam made it sound like she'd be in agonizing pain. This was no worse than that fall she took ice-skating.

"Completely. Thirsty?" Jackie offered her some water. "You've been asleep for hours."

"Thanks. Mom? Did it work?"

"They won't know for about a month. I'm so proud of you honey."

"Me too." Jackie kissed Ilsa on the cheek. "Thanks"

They were watching "The Breakfast Club", part of Ilsa's plan to properly socialize Jackie in American pop culture, when there was a knock at the door. "Ilsa, Quinn's here to visit you." Shelby announced. "Would you like to talk to her?"

Ilsa shook her head.

"You sure, baby?"

"I'm sure mom."

"Okay. I'll be back in a minute." Shelby left the room to speak to Quinn

"Do you think I'm being petty, not talking to her?"

"It doesn't matter. You did the important part. She's survived not talking to you for this long."

"That's how I see it, too."

"Ella made this for you." Jackie handed her a sketch of Ilsa dressed as Supergirl. "She thinks you're super."

"Awww, she's such a baby."

"Hey, that's no way to talk about our sister."

"Our sister?"

"Your blood is flowing in my brother's veins. I guess that makes us family."

"The world's weirdest family." Ilsa felt oddly pleased about that.

"And proud of it! That makes you the world's best big sister. And since you're family, do you want to hit the road with us this summer?"

"You're leaving again?"

"They only came to Lima because I wanted to see what school is like. Okay, I've seen it. There's only one thing I like about it and you're graduating."

"Not staring in West Side Story?"

"I don't know. School play, best friend? No contest." She stroked Ilsa's hand. "My mom knew you before you were born, did you know that?"

Ilsa shook her head. "Quinn lived with my mom when she was pregnant." Jackie figured there was no point in telling her how that story ended. "So mom talked to Shelby. If you want a break before you start college in the fall you can come along. We're driving across Canada. What's your favorite city in Canada?"

"Jack, who has a favorite Canadian city?"

"Okay, you can have one of mine." she said ignoring the question. "Dad likes Montreal cause he can speakk French. Mom likes Toronto cause Ella was born there. Ella likes Winnipeg because of Winnie the Pooh. I've got two so you can have one. Call it. Vancouver or Calgary?"

"Vancouver?"

"Excellent choice." There was another knock on the door. Jackie answered it. "It's Sam. Do you want to talk to him?"

Ilsa considered it. Sam was nice. That first day in the coffeehouse he'd smiled politely, not the way her sketchy bio-dad did. "Okay, let him in."

**3 months later**

Mercedes looked at the picture attached to the email.

"I'm the big brother!" A healthy Rick holding a newborn baby, Annabelle. She passed the laptop to the three girls studying a map of Canada.

"Awww, she's so cute." Ella gushed. "Did they say anything else?"

"Yes, it says "To my Lima family. Words can never express how thankful we are for what you've done for us, what you mean to us. We wouldn't be the family we are today without the family you are. Love, Sam.

PS if you ever make it out this way we'd love to have you stay. Don't be a stranger."

"We could stop by on our way to Prince Edward Island." Blaine said. "That's our first stop."

Both girls looked at Ilsa. "Go!" She said. "You can drop me off at a mall or something."

"That's ridiculous" Jackie answered.

"Okay, I'm ridiculous." She agreed. "New Haven's a good place to start. I just don't want to see them."

"We could drop Jackie off in the morning." Blaine was thinking out loud. "I don't know Ella, if you want to visit or not, you can decide later. Then we hang out in a museum of something, then dinner and we leave. Could you stand dinner, Ilsa?"

"In a restaurant?"

"I don't know if they'll want to take the baby to a restaurant."

"Then that's what I want. She can stay home with her precious."

Mercedes sighed. Ilsa looked nothing like Quinn, though maybe that's due to plastic surgery more than anything else, but she's got the same stubborn streak. Both of them had laser-like focus once their minds were made up. And Mercedes could relate, spending time with Quinn's not on the top of his list of good times either. But this was about Jackie and Sam, not some ancient high school drama. And Blaine's plan is pretty good. She looked at her curly-haired husband and thanked her good luck.

* * *

><p><strong>One month later<strong>

Ilsa sat in the car and waited. Jackie was staying to visit Sam, Ella decided to stay and play chess with Rick, and she was waiting for Mercedes and Blaine to excuse themselves so they could go to a museum. Evidently they were not 'hanging out at the mall' type people.

You'd think homeschoolers got the summer off like everybody else but Blaine and Mercedes were serious about travel being educational. They've picked a book for each city. Every member of the family had a Kindle and was reading the first book "Anne of Green Gables" as a shout-out to Prince Edward Island. Ilsa was contemplating the concept of orphans being shipped off to god-knows-who as free labor when there was a knock on the window.

She got out of the car and stood face to face with Quinn. "I just wanted to thank you in person. For helping Rick. Maybe later, if you wanted more from me, well you know where I live now."

Ilsa didn't say anything and Quinn laughed nervously. "Well, if you ever need anything..."

"My mom can take care of it." she finished.

"Yes, your mom did a great job. You're beautiful, inside and out. You saved his life. I don't know what I would have done without him."

"You got along just fine with me." Quinn stepped back like she'd been hit. "Sorry, that was rude. Listen, I have my family and you have yours. I don't need another mother."

"How about a friend?"

"I'm not sure what the basis of our friendship would be."

"I understand. Anyway, thank you for what you did for Rick."

"I did that for Jackie. Thank her." Ilsa opened the car door and got back in. She looked up and saw Quinn walking slowing towards the house where Mercedes was standing on the porch holding Annabelle and waiting for her.

* * *

><p><strong>The end<strong>

The Chain – Ingrid Michaelson


End file.
